HT32BSX115
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2005
- Messages
- 10,083
This would be a pretty good way to destroy an engine ! It's right up there with dumping any solvent into the oil to "clean " a heavily sludged engine. Problem is when you break loose a piece of sludge on the wrong side of filter, there's a risk of clogging the oil path to a bearing and that bearing getting ""starved followed by seizure. (and spun bearing)
If an engine is not sludged, it wouldn't hurt anything if you used a SMALL amount of solvent (gasoline, diesel, Kero, light mineral oil etc) to dilute the oil but if it's NOT sludged why would you do it?
Years ago, aircraft engines used fuel dilution systems to dilute the oil immediately prior to shutdown in sub zero temps to thin the oil so it would flow easily during the following (morning) start-up............ right before shutdown, at idle, the pilot would open the fuel dilution valve and allow a measured amount (around a qt per gallon of oil) of fuel into the oil.
Then when the engine was subsequently started and warmed up, the fuel would rapidly evaporate out once the oil temp increased. It was pretty common until multi-grade oils were more widely used. Radial engines used Grade 120 oil (60w) which would be nearly solid in sub-zero temps.
Oil that is contaminated with water when thinned, will drain out of the engine more easily (which is why some have suggesting using a qt or so of diesel to thin it)
Using 100% diesel would be very risky (and very foolish) as it would likely cause bearing damage that wouldn't necessarily show up immediately.
If I had water contamination of the oil, I would drain it, and change with the cheapest 5W20 oil a couple of times. on the last refill, use whatever oil you're going leave in there and run it for 30-60 min at normal cruise power and operating temp to boil out any remaining residual water.
Cheers,
Rick